Systems and methods for intercepting communications

ABSTRACT

Tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media include instructions that cause a processor to receive a first indication that a user is attempting to communicate with a provider, and intercept communication between the user and the provider based on the first indication being received. The instructions also cause the processor to send user information to a provider application server based on the first indication being received, and display a visual interface that establishes communication with the relevant provider department or performs a transaction based on the first indication being received. The instructions further cause the processor to receive a second indication associated with performing the action associated with the provider via the visual interface; and performing the action based on the second indication being received.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/597,651, titled “Systems and Methods for InterceptingCommunications,” filed on Oct. 9, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/039,018, titled “Systems and Methods forIntercepting Communications,” filed on Jul. 18, 2018, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/534,587,titled “Systems and Methods for Communication Intercept,” filed on Jul.19, 2017, the entireties of which are incorporated by reference in thepresent disclosure for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to intercepting a communicationto a provider, and more particularly to intercepting the communicationand establishing communication with a relevant provider department,authenticating a user, and/or performing a transaction.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure,which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed tohelp provide the reader with background information to facilitate abetter understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure.Accordingly, it is understood that these statements are to be read inthis light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Typically, when a user initially communicates with a provider of a goodor service (e.g., insurance, finance, utility, communication,entertainment, commerce, security, and the like), the provider willdirect the user to an interactive voice response system that usesautomated audio prompts to elicit information from the user. Theinteractive voice response system may then direct the user to anappropriate department of the provider or enable the user to perform atransaction via the interactive voice response system based on theinformation provided by the user. In many cases, the user communicateswith the provider via a mobile electronic device that includes a visualinput device, such as a smartphone, wearable device, tablet, and thelike. However, these electronic devices may include capabilities thatmay simplify or provide additional functionality when compared to theinteractive voice response system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon readingthe following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication intercept system using anelectronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for intercepting acommunication to a provider that may be performed by a controller of theelectronic device of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of dial pad displayed on a display of theelectronic device of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is an example page of a visual interface displayed on the displayof the electronic device of FIG. 1 that enables establishingcommunication with a relevant provider department or performing atransaction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an example page of the visual interface displayed on thedisplay of the electronic device of FIG. 1 that facilitates establishingcommunication with a relevant provider department or performing atransaction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an example page of the visual interface displayed on thedisplay of the electronic device of FIG. 1 that enables receiving theindication associated with establishing communication with the relevantprovider department or performing the transaction via the visualinterface, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is another example page of the visual interface displayed on thedisplay of the electronic device of FIG. 1 that facilitates establishingcommunication with the relevant provider department or performing thetransaction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an example page resulting from selection of a subtopic fromthe example page of FIG. 7, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 represents a visual display of a prompt of an authenticationfeature of the electronic device of FIG. 1, according to an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a call screen of the display of the electronic device of FIG.1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is an example page of the visual interface displayed on thedisplay of the electronic device of FIG. 1 that enables the user toperform the transaction via the visual interface, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. Itshould be understood that these aspects are presented merely to providethe reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and thatthese aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may notbe set forth below.

The present disclosure relates generally to intercepting a communicationto a provider, and more particularly to intercepting the communicationand establishing communication with a relevant provider department,authenticating a user, and/or performing a transaction. In someembodiments, when the user initiates a voice call with the providerusing a mobile electronic device (e.g., a smartphone), a visualinterface may be displayed on the electronic device that enablesestablishing communication (e.g., establishing voice communication via astandard phone call) with the relevant provider department. The visualinterface may also enable authenticating the user, for example, by usingan authentication feature of the electronic device. In alternative oradditional embodiments, the visual interface may enable performing atransaction (e.g., completely via the visual interface), such as thetransaction that the user desired to perform when initiating the call.In this manner, establishing communication to the relevant providerdepartment and/or performing the desired transaction may more quicklyand efficiently be achieved without tediously navigating through aninteractive voice response system. For example, a user may attempt tomake a voice call via the smartphone to a bank to transfer funds and thecall may be intercepted (e.g., based on identification of the phonenumber) and a user-interface (e.g., the visual interface) may beactivated on the smartphone to facilitate authenticating the user,establishing communication with a relevant provider department, and/orcompleting the transaction.

Various refinements of the features noted above may be made in relationto various aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may alsobe incorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements andadditional features may exist individually or in any combination. Forinstance, various features discussed below in relation to one or more ofthe illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of theabove-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in anycombination. The brief summary presented above is intended only tofamiliarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts of embodimentsof the present disclosure without limitation to the claimed subjectmatter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effortto provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all featuresof an actual implementation are described in the specification. Itshould be appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerousimplementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

As an introduction, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communicationintercept system 10 using an electronic device 12, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 12 mayinclude any suitable electronic device that may send a communication toa provider, establish communication with a relevant provider department,authenticate the user, and/or perform a transaction. For example, theelectronic device 12 may include a smartphone, wearable device, tablet,a laptop, a personal computer, and the like. The provider may provideany suitable good or service to the user, such as those associated withinsurance, finance, utility, communication, entertainment, commerce,security, and the like.

As illustrated, the electronic device 12 includes a controller 14. Thecontroller 14 includes one or more processors 16 and one or morememories 18. The processor(s) 16 (e.g., microprocessors) may executesoftware programs and/or instructions to send a communication to theprovider, establish communication with a relevant provider department,authenticate the user, and/or perform a transaction. Moreover, theprocessor(s) 16 may include multiple microprocessors, one or more“general-purpose” microprocessors, one or more special-purposemicroprocessors, and/or one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICS), or some combination thereof. For example, theprocessor(s) 16 may include one or more reduced instruction set (RISC)processors. The memory(ies) 18 may store information such as controlsoftware, look up tables, configuration data, etc. In some embodiments,the processor(s) 16 and/or the memory(ies) 18 may be external to thecontroller 14. The memory(ies) 18 may include a tangible,non-transitory, machine-readable-medium, such as a volatile memory(e.g., a random access memory (RAM)) and/or a nonvolatile memory (e.g.,a read-only memory (ROM)). The memory(ies) 18 may store a variety ofinformation and may be used for various purposes. For example, thememory(ies) 18 may store machine-readable and/or processor-executableinstructions (e.g., firmware or software) for the processor(s) 16 toexecute, such as instructions to send a communication to the provider,establish communication with a relevant provider department,authenticate the user, and/or perform a transaction. The memory(ies) 18may include one or more storage devices (e.g., nonvolatile storagedevices) that may include read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, a harddrive, or any other suitable optical, magnetic, or solid-state storagemedium, or a combination thereof.

The electronic device 12 may include one or more input devices 20communicatively coupled to the controller 14. The input device(s) 20 mayinclude any suitable device that enables the user to send acommunication to a provider, establish communication with a relevantprovider department, authenticate the user, and/or perform atransaction. For example, the input device(s) 20 may include atouchscreen, dial pad, buttons, dials, a keyboard, a mousing device, atrackpad, a microphone, a retinal scanner, a fingerprint reader, a cardreader, and the like.

The electronic device 12 may also include a display 22 communicativelycoupled to the controller 14. The display 22 may provide information tothe user, for example, to enable the user to send a communication to aprovider, establish communication with a relevant provider department,authenticate the user, and/or perform a transaction.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 12 may include anauthentication feature 24. The authentication feature 24 may beimplemented as hardware, such as a fingerprint reader, a microphone, aretinal scanner, or any other suitable hardware that enablesauthentication of the user. In one embodiment, the authenticationfeature 24 may be implemented as software, such as a prompt that enablesthe user to enter a personal identification number, a password, answer asecurity question, draw a security pattern, and the like.

The controller 14 may also be communicatively coupled to a communicationinterface 26. The communication interface 26 may enable the controller14 to communicate with any suitable communication network 28. Forexample, the communication interface 26 may enable the controller 14 tocommunicate with wireless networks (e.g., mobile, WiFi, LAN, WAN,Internet, and the like). In this manner, the communication interface 26may enable the controller 14 to communicate with, for example, anapplication server 30. The application server 30 may enable the user tocommunication with a provider. For example, the application server 30may belong to the user's insurance company, and enable the user tocommunicate with an interactive response system, a call center, and/or arepresentative of the insurance company (e.g., via a communicationintercept application 32).

As illustrated, the communication intercept application 32 is stored inthe memory(ies) 18. However, it should be understood that thecommunication intercept application 32 may also be stored in a memoryexternal to the controller 14 or may be defined by separate circuitry.The communication intercept application 32 may be downloaded from theprovider and enable the user to send a communication to the provider,establish communication with a relevant provider department,authenticate the user, and/or perform a transaction. In particular, thecommunication intercept application 32 may enable performing the stepswith respect to FIG. 2. The communication intercept application 32 mayreceive information from an input device 20 of the electronic device 12,such as a touchscreen or dial pad. In some embodiments, thecommunication intercept application 32 may receive an indication that auser is attempting to communicate (e.g., call) with the provider, andintercept the communication (e.g., by performing certain actions and/ordisplaying information on the display 22) before enabling thecommunication. In such embodiments, the communication interceptapplication 32 may request and receive permission (e.g., from theprocessor(s) 16) to intercept the communication before enabling thecommunication. As an example, the processor(s) 16 may use an Androidoperating system, which may give the communication intercept application32 the capability to intercept the communication before enabling thecommunication when requested by the communication intercept application32.

With this in mind, FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method 40 forintercepting a communication to a provider that may be performed by thecontroller 14 of the electronic device 12 of FIG. 1, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The method 40 may be performed byany suitable device that may enable a user to send a communication tothe provider, establish communication with a relevant providerdepartment, authenticate the user, and/or perform a transaction, such asthe controller 14. While the method 40 is described using steps in aspecific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosurecontemplates that the described steps may be performed in differentsequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps maybe skipped or not performed altogether. In some embodiments, the method40 may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible,non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory(ies) 18,using a processor, such as the processor(s) 16.

As illustrated, the controller 14 receives (process block 42) anindication that a user is attempting to communicate with a provider.Specifically, the controller 14 may receive the indication when the userattempts to communicate with the provider with a telephone system or viaa telephone network. FIG. 3 is an illustration of a dial pad 50displayed on the display 22 of the electronic device 12 of FIG. 1,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated,the user has entered the phone number 52 associated with the provider.The controller 14 may, for example, receive the indication when the userpresses the call button 54 after dialing the phone number 52. In anotherexample, the controller 14 may receive the indication when the userattempts to send a text message (e.g., via short message service) viathe telephone network.

The controller 14 may then intercept and block (process block 55) theattempted communication by holding, suspending, or otherwise preventingthe communication from being sent or a call (e.g., via a telephonenetwork) from being made. For example, a phone number may be identified(e.g., from an index of providers stored in the memory(ies) 18) ascorresponding to a provider that enables interactions with features inaccordance with present embodiments and the actual call may then beblocked in conjunction with diverting to a more efficient interactiveprocess. In this manner, the presently disclosed techniques are directedat a specific improvement to computer-related technology, beyond use ofa computer in its ordinary capacity. Specifically, the controller 14 mayintercept and block communications from a user and instead provide avisual interface that enables establishing communication with a desiredprovider department or perform a desired transaction. Thus, the user maymore quickly and efficiently achieved his or her desired results withouttediously navigating through, for example, an interactive voice responsesystem.

The controller 14 sends (process block 56) user information to theprovider. For example, the controller 14 may send device identificationinformation (e.g., a device identification number, the phone numberassociated with the electronic device 12, an automatic numberidentification, and the like) associated with the electronic device 12,member identification information (e.g., a member identification numberthat the provider issues to the user), information associated with thecommunication intercept application 32, and the like. The userinformation may enable the provider to, for example, determine theidentity of the user. In some embodiments, the user information may beobtained from the intercepted communication.

The controller 14 then displays (process block 60) a visual interfacethat enables performing an action associated with the provider. Inparticular, the visual interface may enable establishing communication(e.g., establishing voice communication via a standard phone call) witha relevant provider department or performing a transaction. The visualinterface may include a graphical user interface that enables the userto select an option from a set of options. FIG. 4 is an example page 62of a visual interface 64 displayed on the display 22 of the electronicdevice 12 of FIG. 1 that enables establishing communication with arelevant provider department or performing a transaction, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the visualinterface 64, and thus the page 62 of the visual interface 64, may beoverlaid on top of the dial pad 50 of FIG. 3. The page 62 may include aset of options 66 that the user may select from to establishcommunication with the relevant provider department or perform atransaction. In particular, the set of options 66 include “Checking,”“Insurance,” “Credit Cards,” and “Something Else.” It should beunderstood that any suitable options related to the business of theprovider may be included. The associated provider departments mayinclude a checking department, an insurance department, a credit carddepartment, and a call center department. It should be understood thatany suitable departments related to the options may be included. Therelevant provider department may include any suitable providerdepartment that the user may desire to contact. The transactions mayinclude any suitable transactions related to the options and theassociated accounts that are contemplated, such as transferring funds inchecking accounts, changing insurance policies, making a payment to acredit card account, and the like.

For example, the user may desire to transfer funds from or to a checkingaccount that the provider manages. As such, the user may desire toestablish communication with a checking account or funds transferdepartment of the provider to perform the funds transfer transaction.The user may additionally or alternatively desire to perform the fundstransfer transaction using the visual interface 64 (e.g., withoutestablishing voice communication via a standard phone call with thechecking account or funds transfer department of the provider).

In some embodiments, the controller 14 may receive an indicationassociated with establishing communication with the relevant providerdepartment or performing the transaction via the visual interface 64.For example, the user may select the “Checking” option 66 from the page62. FIG. 5 is an example page 70 of the visual interface 64 displayed onthe display 22 of the electronic device 12 of FIG. 1 that facilitatesestablishing communication with the relevant provider department orperforming the transaction, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. After the user selects the “Checking” option 66 from thepage 62, the controller 14 may display the page 70. As illustrated, thepage 70 includes a set of options 72 that the user may select from tofacilitate establishing communication with the relevant providerdepartment or performing the transaction. In particular, the set ofoptions 72 includes “I want to open a checking account,” “I want totransfer money,” and “I want to dispute a transaction.” It should beunderstood that any suitable options related to the business of theprovider may be included.

The controller 14 receives (process block 80) an indication associatedwith performing the action associated with the provider via the visualinterface. In particular, the indication may be associated withestablishing communication with the relevant provider department orperforming the transaction via the visual interface 64. For example, thevisual interface 64 may provide an option for the user to establishcommunication with the relevant provider department or perform thetransaction via the visual interface 64, among others. FIG. 6 is anexample page 82 of the visual interface 64 displayed on the display 22of the electronic device 12 of FIG. 1 that enables receiving theindication associated with establishing communication with the relevantprovider department or performing the transaction via the visualinterface 64, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.Specifically, the page 82 includes an “I want to transfer money throughthe Provider app” option 84 that enables the user to perform thetransaction via the visual interface 64. The page 82 also includes an “Iwant to talk to someone about transferring money” option 86 that enablesestablishing communication with the relevant provider department (e.g.,money transfer department, checking department, and the like). When theuser selects one of the options, the controller 14 receives theindication associated with establishing communication with the relevantprovider department or performing the transaction via the visualinterface 64. It should be understood that any suitable options relatedto the business of the provider may be included.

Alternatively or additionally, FIG. 7 is another example page 87 of thevisual interface 64 displayed on the display 22 of the electronic device12 of FIG. 1 that facilitates establishing communication with therelevant provider department or performing the transaction, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure. The page 87 may include a topicselection control 88 that enables the user to select a topic 89. Thetopic 89 may correspond to the business and/or departments of theprovider, such as “Banking,” “Insurance,” “Credit Cards,” “SomethingElse,” and/or similar topics. The page 87 may also include a subtopicselection control 90 that enables the user to select a subtopic 91. Insome embodiments, the subtopics 91 in the subtopic selection control 90may be populated based on selection of the topic 89 (e.g., by the user)in the topic selection control 88. The subtopics 91 may correspond tofacilitate establishing communication with a relevant providerdepartment or performing a transaction. As illustrated, the subtopics 91provided in the subtopic selection control 90 include“Checking/Savings,” “ATM/Debit Card,” “Credit Cards,” “Loans,” and“Mortgage.” It should be understood that any suitable subtopics 91related to the business of the provider may be included. Moreover, whilethe topic selection control 88 and the subtopic selection control 90 areprovided in the form of drop-down menus, any suitable control may beused.

FIG. 8 is the example page 87 of FIG. 7 resulting from selection of asubtopic 91, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Inparticular, the subtopic 91 “Checking/Savings” has been selected. Asillustrated, the page 87 includes an option selection control 92 thatenables selection of an option 93 (similar to the options 72 asillustrated in FIG. 5) that facilitates establishing communication witha relevant provider department or performing a transaction. In someembodiments, the options 93 in the option selection control 92 may bepopulated based on selection of the subtopic 91 (e.g., by the user) inthe subtopic selection control 90. In particular, the “Check AccountBalance” option 93 has been selected. The options 93 may include anysuitable options related to the business of the provider. Asillustrated, the page 87 includes a first action button 94 and a secondaction button 95. The action buttons 94, 95 may enable the user toperform actions related to establishing communication with a relevantprovider department or performing a transaction. For example, the firstaction button 94 (“Call”) may enable the user to call (e.g., via atelephone network) a relevant provider department. The second actionbutton 95 (“Go To My Accounts”) may enable the user to view and/ormanage one or more bank accounts the user may have with the provider. Itshould be understood that the actions represented by the action buttons94, 95 may include any suitable action to the business of the provider.

The controller 14 then authenticates (process block 98) the user.Specifically, the controller 14 may use the authentication feature 24 ofthe electronic device 12 to authenticate the user. FIG. 9 represents avisual display of a prompt 99 of the authentication feature 24 of theelectronic device 12 of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In particular, the authentication feature 24includes a fingerprint reader that is built-in hardware of theelectronic device 12. In additional or alternative embodiments, anyother suitable authentication feature 24 may be used, such as amicrophone, a retinal scanner, a facial recognition camera, or any othersuitable hardware that enables authentication of the user. In oneembodiment, the authentication feature 24 may be implemented assoftware, such as a prompt that enables the user to enter a personalidentification number, a password, answer a security question, draw asecurity pattern, and the like. The controller 14 may proceed to thenext step of the method 40 if the user has been authenticated. If theuser is not authenticated, in some embodiments, the controller 14 mayalert the provider, lock the electronic device 12, exit the visualinterface 64, provide a threshold number of authentications before anyof the previous actions, and the like.

The controller 14 determines (decision block 100) whether the indicationassociated with establishing communication with the relevant providerdepartment or performing the transaction via the visual interface 64(from process block 80) is associated with establishing communicationwith the relevant provider department. If so, the controller 14establishes (process block 102) communication with the relevant providerdepartment. For example, the controller 14 may connect the user to therelevant provide department via a telephone network (e.g., make atelephone call to the relevant provide department). FIG. 10 is a callscreen 104 of the display 22 of the electronic device 12 of FIG. 1,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

If the controller 14 determines that the indication associated withestablishing communication with the relevant provider department orperforming the transaction (from process block 80) is not associatedwith establishing communication with the relevant provider department,the controller 14 enables (process block 110) performing the transactionvia the visual interface 64. In some embodiments, the controller 14 maydetermine that the indication is associated with performing thetransaction via the visual interface 64. FIG. 11 is an example page 112of the visual interface 64 displayed on the display 22 of the electronicdevice 12 of FIG. 1 that enables performing the transaction via thevisual interface 64, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Specifically, the page 112 includes subpages 114 (e.g.,“One-time,” “Automatic,” and “Activity”) that enable defining the typeof transaction to be performed. It should be understood that anysuitable subpages related to the business of the provider may beincluded. Moreover, in some embodiments, subpages may not be used on thepage 112. The page 112 also includes fields 116 (e.g., “From,” “To,”“Amount,” a date field, and “Memo”) that enable defining details of thetransaction. It should be understood that any suitable fields related tothe business of the provider may be included. Once the relevant fieldshave been entered, the “Transfer” button may be selected to perform orcomplete the transaction. In this manner, establishing communication toa relevant provider department and/or performing a desired transactionmay more quickly and efficiently be achieved without tediouslynavigating through an interactive voice response system. Thus, presentembodiments may improve computer-based operations and addressInternet-centric problems associated with navigating automatedinteractive sessions.

While the embodiments set forth in the present disclosure may besusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specificembodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and havebeen described in detail herein. However, it should be understood thatthe disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular formsdisclosed. The disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents,and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosureas defined by the following appended claims.

The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and appliedto material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature thatdemonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are notabstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claimsappended to the end of this specification contain one or more elementsdesignated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for[perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements areto be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claimscontaining elements designated in any other manner, it is intended thatsuch elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for call diversion and authentication,comprising: intercepting an outgoing telephone call from an electronicdevice by using a communication intercept application of the electronicdevice to block the outgoing telephone call before the outgoingtelephone call is sent over a network to a recipient associated with theoutgoing telephone call; displaying a visual interface of thecommunication intercept application on the electronic device, inresponse to intercepting the outgoing telephone call, wherein the visualinterface provides data corresponding to the outgoing telephone call;prompting input of authentication information at the visual interface;and in response to verifying the authentication information and beforethe outgoing telephone call is sent over the network to the recipientassociated with the outgoing telephone call, performing an action usingthe visual interface.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the actioncomprises transferring funds, changing a policy, making a payment, orany combination thereof, via the visual interface.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, comprising displaying a dial pad, wherein initiating theoutgoing telephone call occurs via entry of a telephone number on thedial pad.
 4. The method of claim 1, comprising determining that atelephone number associated with the outgoing telephone call has acorrelation to a stored telephone number stored in one or more memoriesof the electronic device and intercepting the outgoing telephone callbased on the correlation.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theauthentication information comprises a personal identification number,facial recognition data, a password, a pattern, biometric data, or anycombination thereof.
 6. The method of claim 1, comprising: interceptingan additional outgoing telephone call from the electronic device byusing the communication intercept application of the electronic deviceto block the additional outgoing telephone call before the additionaloutgoing telephone call is sent over the network and occurs subsequentto intercepting the outgoing telephone call; displaying a second visualinterface of the communication intercept application on the electronicdevice, in response to intercepting the additional outgoing telephonecall, wherein the second visual interface provides second datacorresponding to the second outgoing telephone call; prompting input ofsecond authentication information at the second visual interface; and inresponse to rejecting the second authentication information, exiting thesecond visual interface.
 7. One or more tangible, non-transitory,computer-readable media comprising instructions configured to cause oneor more processors of an electronic device to: receive a communicationrequest for a first mode of communication; deny the communicationrequest by using a communication intercept application of the electronicdevice to block communication via the first mode of communication beforethe communication is sent over a network to a recipient associated withthe communication request; display a visual interface of thecommunication intercept application on the electronic device using asecond mode of communication; prompt a pattern to be drawn on the visualinterface; in response to authenticating the pattern and before thecommunication is sent over the network to the recipient associated withthe communication request, perform an action using the visual interface;and in response to rejecting the pattern, exit the visual interface. 8.The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media ofclaim 7, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one ormore processors to allow a threshold number of incorrect input patternentries before exiting the visual interface.
 9. The one or moretangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 7, whereinthe communication request is directed to an entity, and wherein theinstructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to alertthe entity in response to rejecting the pattern.
 10. The one or moretangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 7, whereinthe communication request is directed to an entity, and wherein theinstructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to senduser information associated with the electronic device to the entity.11. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media ofclaim 10, wherein the user information comprises a device identificationnumber of the electronic device, a telephone number associated with theelectronic device, a member identification number associated with theentity, or any combination thereof.
 12. The one or more tangible,non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein theinstructions are configured to cause the one or more processors toidentify a user based on the user information, wherein the pattern isassociated with the user.
 13. An electronic device comprising: adisplay; and a controller communicatively coupled to the display,wherein the controller comprises one or more processors and one or morememory devices, wherein the one or more memory devices storeinstructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, causethe one or more processors to: detect a communication request via afirst mode of operation; block the communication request by using acommunication intercept application of the electronic device to blockcommunication via the first mode of operation before the communicationis sent over a network to a recipient associated with the communicationrequest; display a visual interface of the communication interceptapplication on the electronic device via the display in a second mode ofoperation, wherein the visual interface comprises a prompt to provideauthentication information; in response to confirming the authenticationinformation and before the communication is sent over the network to therecipient associated with the communication request, performing anaction using the visual interface; and in response to rejecting theauthentication information, exiting the visual interface.
 14. Theelectronic device of claim 13, wherein the communication requestcomprises a text message.
 15. The electronic device of claim 13, whereinthe visual interface comprises a page configured to enable selection ofa department from a plurality of departments.
 16. The electronic deviceof claim 15, wherein the page comprises a topic selection control,wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or moreprocessors to populate the topic selection control with a plurality oftopics based on the selection of the department.
 17. The electronicdevice of claim 16, wherein the instructions are configured to cause theone or more processors to populate the topic selection control with asecond plurality of topics based on a second selection of a seconddepartment of the plurality of departments, wherein the second pluralityof topics is different from the plurality of topics.
 18. The electronicdevice of claim 16, wherein the page comprises an option selectioncontrol, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one ormore processors to populate the option selection control with aplurality of options based on a second selection of a topic of theplurality of topics, wherein each option of the plurality of optionsfacilitates performing the action with the department.
 19. Theelectronic device of claim 13, wherein the authentication informationcomprises a password and, in response to authenticating the password,the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors tocontinue communicating via the second mode of operation using the visualinterface.
 20. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein, in responseto confirming the authentication information, the instructions areconfigured to cause the one or more processors to continue communicatingvia the first mode of operation.